Burnett beats BBDO to snatch Voltaren China business

Burnett confirmed that it defeated BBDO in a pitch, and will look to hone the OTC anti-inflammatory gel's white-collar positioning. "In the past, it was more focused on sports injuries," said Burnett Beijing managing director Kelvin Cheng, who said McCann Erickson was the account incumbent. Media duties have passed from Universal McCann to Starcom. "The key challenge will be to ensure the brand's leadership position is maintained," said Cheng. "With increased competition, not only from foreign companies entering the market but also Chinese medicines aiming to capture a share of the lucrative pie, the agency needs to develop an educational strategy that will lead to groundbreaking creative." Burnett will focus on TV, store merchandising and community programmes: "TV, because it is quick and penetrates the market. Retail is important because of the influence of the salesmen in the drugstores, as they give advice," added Cheng. "Community programmes will be more educational." He also said that while China's pharmaceuticals market remains set for further strong growth, regulatory policy would again play an important role. "OTC products are also prescribed in the hospitals. The Government controls pricing, so the business model is affected by Government policy," he said. Given Voltaren's presence in hospitals, Cheng saidB2B marketing would also form an significant component of the overall mix. "It builds brand credibility if you can influence hospital prescriptions, so that patients start using the brand." The win comes as the agency announced the hire of Luis da Rosa as business director from J. Walter Thompson Shanghai. Da Rosa will work on Li-Ning and Sony Ericsson, having handled Siemens and Nike at JWT. "He spent four years in Shanghai, so he has a very good grasp of the market," said Cheng.